A City of Continuous Celebration
Kashi's calendar has no empty pages: every month carries its vrats, melas and river-festivals. Dates below follow the lunar calendar and shift each year — verify current dates locally or via official announcements before planning travel around a specific event.
Jan–Feb
Makar Sankranti — khichdi and holy bathing at the ghats. Vasant Panchami — Saraswati's spring day.
Feb–Mar
Mahashivratri — the great night; Kashi's peak. Holi — famous, fervent Banarasi Holi, including the pyre-ash Holi of Manikarnika's tradition.
Mar–Apr
Chaitra Navratri & Ram Navami — Durga Kund in glory; Rama's birthday in Tulsidas's city. Hanuman Jayanti at Sankat Mochan.
Apr–May
Akshaya Tritiya — the eternal-auspicious day. Buddha Purnima — Sarnath's great celebration.
Jun–Jul
Ganga Dussehra — the goddess's descent-day bathing festival.
Jul–Aug
Sawan — Shiva's month; Mondays of peak devotion; kanwariyas fill the roads.
Aug–Sep
Nag Panchami, Raksha Bandhan, Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi — the festive high season begins.
Sep–Oct
Pitru Paksha — rites for the ancestors at the ghats. Sharad Navratri & Dussehra — Durga's nine nights; Ramnagar's famous month-long Ramlila culminates.
Oct–Nov
Diwali, then Annakut at Annapurna's temple, then Dev Deepawali on Kartik Purnima — the city's supreme night.
Nov–Dec
Kartik month observances continue; Bhairav Ashtami (Kaal Bhairav Jayanti) honours the city's Kotwal.
Dec–Jan
Geeta Jayanti; winter's mist and the year turning again toward Makar Sankranti.
Planning Around Festivals
Festival dates follow the lunar panchang — they drift 10–11 days against the solar calendar each year. For peak events (Shivratri, Dev Deepawali, Sawan Mondays), book accommodation and travel well in advance, and treat every timing as to-be-verified locally. Our best-time guide weighs festivals against weather and crowds.